Spending sprees are a hallmark symptom of bipolar disorder and many people have been known to buy cars or houses – big ticket items. Fortunately I never spent at that level, but that's not to say that my spending didn't cause harm with our finances or arguments with my spouse – they surely did. There are so many instances I could write about but one in particular comes to mind more than others. My car went into “auto-pilot” and drove to our local Michaels store – the largest craft store I've ever seen. I parked the car and went in, thinking I'd just pick up a few items. No such luck. I grabbed a shopping cart, which was the first bad sign. The pressure to buy built as I rounded the corner of each aisle of the store. Up and down the aisles I went piling my cart higher and higher. My excitement mounted as did the bill. By the time I went through the cash the total had climbed to just over $900. I carried the numerous bags out to my car, put them in the trunk and jumped into the driver's seat. Then I burst into tears. I panicked. I didn't know what to do. I drove home in quite the state and called my mom as soon as I got there. I relayed the story to her and she immediately came over. She took the bags and the receipt back to the store. She returned everything for me without incident. I could breathe again. Til next time.